Life Library — Two Kingdoms

The Christian a Citizen of Two KingdomsEvery person is a subject of two kingdoms, one spiritual, the other earthly. Both the godly and ungodly are citizens of an earthly kingdom or country. However, Lutherans are not always as great a blessing to their country as they should be.

Christian CitizenshipWe are all citizens of two kingdoms. One is the kingdom of this world. Christian citizenship will advance the cause of movements that strengthen the guarantees of order and law, keep separate church and state, keep sacred the institution of marriage, and protect the morals of youth.

Righteousness Exalteth a NationChristians alone are able to do good works that God is pleased to accept for Jesus' sake as fruits of their faith. But they pray fervently to God to spare their country from severe punishment, and they do everything in their power to improve the moral conditions.

The Two Governments and the Two Kingdoms in Luther's ThoughtMartin Luther sought to answer two fundamental questions. First, what is the purpose and task of secular authority and what should be the attitude of a Christian called to exercise it? Second, what are the proper limits of secular authority and the fitting relationship between it and spiritual authority?

The Two Realms in the Lutheran ConfessionsThe distinction between the two realms or governments is a central and distinctive feature of Christianity. The distinction between the spiritual and the political realms differentiates not between interior spirituality and outward institutions, but between evangelical and legal institutions.